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Munster Little League
Minutes of the Meeting of Board of Directors
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
The Munster Little League met in regular session on April 8, 2015 at the Wilbur Wright Middle School in Munster, Indiana. The meeting
opened at 7:14P.M. The purpose of the meeting was to conduct regular business.
Attendees:
T. Bobb, D. Gelarden, C. Gloff, P. Greiner, J. Hamilton, M. Kozy, J. McKeever, S. Oganovich, M. Schassburger, M. Soja,
M. Sowards, R. Thometz, T. Wanicki
I.
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President M. Schassburger at 7:14 P.M. A quorum was present.
II.
Approval of Agenda – M. Schassburger presented the meeting agenda. C. Gloff motioned to approve the agenda, T. Wanicki
seconded, all approved.
III.
Approval of Meeting Minutes – M. Schassburger presented the February Meeting Minutes. P. Greiner motioned to approve the
March Meeting Minutes, T. Bobb seconded, all approved.
IV.
Reports –
President Report – M. Schassburger began the meeting by presenting M. Kozy with a card/private donation from the members of
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the board in response to the Kozy family’s house sustaining significant damage as a result of a fire on March 30 . M. Schassburger
indicated that he had to expand the Charter to 37 MLL teams and 2 Challenger teams. MLL Safety Plan was approved by LL
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International. M. Schassburger thanked D. Gelarden for coordinating the MLL Spring Clean-up Day on April 4 . M. Schassburger
thanked M. Sowards and M. Soja for coordinating Prep and T-Ball manager training and advised that the Manager Meeting was a
success and will be held annually prior to the start of the season. M. Schassburger has attempted to coordinate the availability of
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park space for practices with the Park Director and has been advised that Town User Fees are due on May 1 and October 1 .
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District # 2 Administrator P. Grede has indicated that the state meeting will be held on Sunday, April 12 and tournament dates will
be forwarded. M. Schassburger has set up the MLL background check to an invoice account as opposed to paying by credit card.
Finally, the village of Ford Heights is attempting to create a Little League; M. Schassburger has pledged the MLL’s support to donate
used equipment.
Treasurer Report – P. Greiner indicated that the current cash position of the MLL is approximately $93,900, which is approximately
$17,000 higher than this time last year. Much of the change is due to the increased fundraising efforts. Based on the total numbers
of families that participated in the Fall 2014 season and Spring 2015 season, the MLL will submit a check in the amount of $ to the
town for payment of the MLL Town User Fee.
M. Sowards requested to speak regarding the approval of league expenses and requested that a benchmark amount be established
for expenses that require board approval. The board agreed and will work to create a plan moving forward.
V.
Approval of Official Coaches –
M. Schassburger has compiled the current list of official coaches and is requesting that that list be approved, pending the submittal
of volunteer applications and the results of the subsequent background checks. P. Greiner motioned to approve the list, seconded
by J. Hamilton, all approved. The list will be attached to these minutes as Addendum I.
VI.
Opening Day –
A roll call was done for each of the following categories: uniforms, umpires, background checks, medical waivers, field maintenance,
schedule, and scoreboards. All respective coordinators/directors advised that they were ready for opening day. D. Gelarden advised
that he was going to purchase league T-shirts for the scorekeepers; there were no objections.
VII.
All Stars –
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The Special All-Star meeting originally scheduled for April 1 was postponed. The board used this meeting to discuss the various
aspects of the All-Star process. The board agreed to work outside of the meeting to present a proposal based on the
recommendations from the meeting. That proposal will be presented to the board via email.
VIII.
Other –
a.
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Board vs. Manager Softball Game - The Board vs MLL Manager Softball game will be held on April 18 from 8 -10 pm
on A field. Honorary captains will be Park Director Greg Vitale and Ford Heights LL President George “Kirby” Green.
b.
Board Member Operating Manual – M. Schassburger presented the concept of creating a board member operating
manual that contains important information, dates, job descriptions/expectations, etc. for each individual member
role. A request was made to each member to map out each of their roles and a manual would subsequently be
created.
c.
Update from Umpire-In-Chief – See Section VI. A mandatory umpire meeting will be held on April 16 at the WWMS.
d.
Manager Clinics/Meeting Update - Feedback was positive from the manager clinics, which were held at the Morris
Baseball facility at Omni. The Manager Meeting was also positive and will be held annually moving forward.
e.
Sponsorship/Fundraising Update – To date, the fundraising committee has raised $21,750 from area
businesses/sponsors. M. Sowards and R. Thometz also presented fundraising opportunities through the sale of Ladies
Gourmet popcorn at the MLL Family Day, a Jewel “Tag” Day and a Tomfoolery Show to benefit the MLL. M. Sowards
and R. Thometz to coordinate these opportunities.
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S. Oganovich motioned to purchase 100 tins of Ladies Gourmet Popcorn to sell at the MLL Family Day, M. Soja
seconded, all approved.
IX.
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f.
Equipment Update – Equipment was handed out on both March 31 and April 1 . Bags were uniquely labeled for
each manager.
g.
Upcoming MLL Tournaments – The MLL will be hosting a tournament over Mother’s Day weekend. Per Local Rules,
no MLL games will be played over that weekend. D. Gelarden has indicated that he is currently finalizing the MLL
tournament. In addition, a regional tournament will be played in July, dates TBD.
h.
Photo Day – MLL Photo Day will be held on May 2 at the WWMS Cafeteria. A schedule will be sent to the MLL on or
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before April 20 .
i.
Final Registration Update – C. McKeever has indicated that final numbers have been submitted to the Little League
Data Center. Final numbers for Spring 2015 are 433 players and 37 teams.
j.
Final Winter Clinics Update – D. Gelarden indicated that the winter clinics went well and he received a lot of positive
feedback. The MLL will continue to expand on these clinics moving forward.
k.
Field Maintenance Update – D. Gelarden indicated that the fields are coming together well. Both he and MLL
volunteer T. Bognar have rebuilt mounds, aerated, seeded and fertilized the infields. D. Gelarden is working with the
town regarding the outfields. Irrigation will be available within a week.
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Discussion Regarding MLL Payments – See Treasurer’s Report.
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Adjournment – Motion was made by J. Hamilton to adjourn at 9:50P.M., seconded by M. Soja and approved.
MLL Meetings are open to the membership and held on the second Wednesday of every month.
MLL financials are available upon written request to the Treasurer.
Addendum I
2015 Munster Little League Approved Manager/Official Coach List
Major Division
Angels
M – Phil Greiner
C – Bob Hillegonds
C – Steve Grapenthien
Cardinals
M – Brad Kuechenburg
C – John Iatrides
C – Gary Ginaven
Giants
M – Todd McKechnie
C – John Bieniak
C – Mark Steinken
Phillies
M – Matt Hayes
C – Eric Stojkovic
C – Jose Cornejo
Pirates
M – Brian Biel
C – Glenn Harvath
C – Ken Heritage
Red Sox
M – Maggie Schaum
C – Doug Johnson
C – Michael Schaum
Tigers
M – Mike Uylaki
C – Brian Lindenmayer
C – Rich Reynolds
White Sox
M – John Hamilton
C – Brian Specht
C – Andrew Cantu
Minor Division
Blue Jays
M – Mark Kozy
C – Jeff Cipowski
C – Brian Budeselich
Brewers
M – Martin Goldman
C – David Katona
C – Jim Riffice
Cardinals
M – Jim Collins
C – Jerry Olson
C – Terry Gilhooly
Cubs
M – Chris Gloff
C – Carmen Cappetto
C – Tom Blair
Diamondbacks
M – Toni Eslick
C – Freddy Cosme
C – Josh Stoffregen
Indians
M – Dan Gelarden
C – Greg Watts
C – Marc Campagna
Orioles
M – Jason Blackford
C – Kevin Collard
C – Tim Bognar
Phillies
M – Scott Macek
C – Brian Devenny
C – Robert Mazumdar
Red Sox
M – Dennis Zuccarelli
C – Dave Sherwood
C – Kevin Hall
Angels
M – Dennis Certa
C – Dave Morgan
C – Charles Moore
Dodgers
M – Glenn Landmesser
C – Greg Adams
C – Mark Foreit
Orioles
M – John McAlpine
C – Greg Beach
C – Joe Kicho
Phillies
M – Manny Lopez
C – Cindy Lopez
C – Joe Landeck
Red Sox
M – Martin Soja
C – Doug Johnson
C – Rich Mizner
White Sox
M – Ed Riley
C – Bridget Riley
C – Anthony Kenning
C-League Division
Yankees
M – Jay Sklar
C – Joel Cipowski
C – Jason Eplawy
Prep Division
Blue Jays
M – Rob Kinsella
C – Virgil Ramirez
C – Rich Reynolds
Cubs
M – Patrick Brennan
C – Mark Dalla Costa
C – Russ Rommelfanger
Pirates
M – Mark Kunas
C – Doug Poulston
C – Dan Herring
White Sox
M – Scott Giba
C – Joe Plant
C – Kevin O’Shea
Indians
M – Mike Sculli
C – Gordon Gouveia
C – Julio Trejo
T-Ball Division
A’s
M – Peyman Torabi
C – Angela Torabi
C – Joe Sinclair
Angels
M – Kathy Giba
C – Domingo Villarreal
C – Scott Giba
Cubs
M – Michael Drapac
C – David Carter
C – Jeffrey Sinder
Dodgers
M – Rich Biel
C – Chico Sheth
C – Marc Valasquez
Indians
M – Ryan Wade
C – John Rybicki
C – Aaron Metzger
Rockies
M – Paulina Hoekstra
C – Glenn Israel
C – Tony Erlain
White Sox
M – Rich Szromba
C – Freddy Lopez
C – John Wodynski
Yankees
M – Samantha McGrath
C – Todd Schmittel
C – Eric Kullerstrand
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